The Larry Gordon Outdoor Education Center at the Town of Wilton’s Camp Saratoga
We are creating a year-round Outdoor Education Center that will become the focal point for visitors and users of the Town of Wilton’s Historic Camp Saratoga.
In this adaptive reuse project, the existing buildings at Camp Saratoga will be renovated. The entire Education Center Campus will be named after Larry Gordon, a transformative Wilton leader and Saratoga County planner who spent most of his life protecting, enhancing, and promoting the conservation of the landscape of Camp Saratoga.
We are working with the Town of Wilton to renovate and repurpose the existing Boy Scout buildings at Camp Saratoga to create a regional outdoor education center where Wilton Wildlife will be better able to serve the public and honor Larry Gordon and his vision.
As a 501(c)3 non-profit organization, we are working to raise the funds needed to implement this ambitious project through fundraising, grant writing, and a targeted Capital Campaign, partnering with the Town of Wilton who is providing in-kind services related to direct construction costs.
The improved facilities will be a regional gem in the Town of Wilton that will improve the quality of life and allow for a new level of year-round programming for the Wilton community and the public at large.
The pathways and site improvements will increase the accessibility of the Camp Saratoga campus.
A REGIONAL GEM LOCATED IN THE TOWN OF WILTON, WHERE PEOPLE CAN COME BOTH TO LEARN AND GET OUTSIDE
The Town of Wilton and Wilton Wildlife Preserve & Park are working together to transform the existing Camp Saratoga buildings into The Larry Gordon Outdoor Education Center. The Larry Gordon Outdoor Education Center will better meet the needs of the park’s users, serving as the gateway for information, outdoor recreation and educational events and programs. The Outdoor Education Center will house exhibits about the plants, animals, and ecology of the Saratoga Sandplains, as well as exhibits highlighting the human history of the area spanning from indigenous peoples through today. The Outdoor Education Center will also incorporate the Larry Gordon Historic Scouting Collection. Larry was an avid collector of documents and materials related to the history of scouting at Camp Saratoga and Saratoga County. The collection will have a permanent home both in the Welcome Center and in the Nature Center building.
THE HEART OF PUBLIC PROGRAMMING
Wilton Wildlife Preserve & Park currently uses Camp Saratoga for the majority of its public and group programming, including for school groups from the Town of Wilton, Saratoga Springs, and beyond. By transforming the existing campus into the Larry Gordon Outdoor Education Center and repurposing existing buildings, we will have permanent, year-round indoor and outdoor spaces for our programs.
REPURPOSING EXISTING BUILDINGS AND EXPANDING USE OF CAMPUS AMENITIES
Remodeling the former Boy Scout Health Lodge into the Welcome Cabin
Renovating the other buildings to provide spaces for a Multipurpose Classroom and Meeting Space, a vibrant Nature Center with exhibits and objects from the Larry Gordon Historic Scouting Collection
and much more!
The Larry Gordon Outdoor Education Center’s buildings will continue to be owned and maintained by the Town of Wilton.
Collectively, the renovated facilities will showcase the history and natural beauty of this important part of New York State.
THE LARRY GORDON OUTDOOR EDUCATION CENTER: A WELCOMING CAMPUS
The Larry Gordon Outdoor Education Center at the Town of Wilton’s Camp Saratoga is the site of the former Boy Scout Camp. The campus boasts trails, pavilions, restrooms, the historic Cornell Hill Fire Tower, and camping facilities.
It forms the central hub of activity for the greater adjacent area known as Wilton Wildlife Preserve & Park, consisting of almost 2,400 acres that includes a diversity of habitats, most notably for the endangered Karner blue butterfly.
The campus serves as the entry point for public access of the Preserve & Park through an extensive, multi-use trail system of more than twenty-five miles. Due to the success of the unique public/private partnership between the Town of Wilton, Wilton Wildlife Preserve & Park, Saratoga County, and the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, year-round use of Camp Saratoga and Wilton Wildlife has grown significantly over the past years.
THE LARRY GORDON OUTDOOR EDUCATION CENTER NEEDS YOUR SUPPORT
Together, we can make this project happen! Your financial support is critical to the success of the Larry Gordon Outdoor Education Center. You can learn more about our array of public and educational programs by looking through our website.
The Wilton Wildlife Preserve & Park is a non-profit organization under section 501c(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. Contributions are tax deductible. A copy of the latest annual report can be obtained by writing to the Office of the Attorney General, Charities Bureau, 120 Broadway, New York, NY 12071.
Larry Gordon sits beside the historic Cornell Hill Fire Tower at Camp Saratoga.
Preliminary Site Plan of the north side of the Larry Gordon Outdoor Education Center.
Dake Family/Stewart’s Shop Check Ceremony in April 2023.
Raised Funds to Date: $365,505
Grant NYS OPRHP $188,000
Dake Family/Stewart’s Shops $100,000
Frank Parillo Matching Grant $20,000
Larry Gordon Friends and Scouting $11,850
Wilton Wildlife Board and Past Board $22,350
Other Funds $23,305
In-Kind Donations
D.A. Collins - Materials
The LA Group - Accessible Pathways and Site Plan
The Town of Wilton - Labor and Construction Work
Thank you to all who have contributed or pledged to the Larry Gordon Outdoor Education Center. Please consider making a donation to help us make this vision into a reality!
$100,000
Stewart’s Shops/the Dake Family
$20,000
Frank Parillo - Scotty’s Restaurant
$3,500
Linda Baker
$3,000
Lemery Greisler, LLC
$2,000
Lower Adirondack Search and Rescue
Pieter and Jill Litchfield
Trish Watkins
$1,000
Anchor QEA
Jennifer Benaman and Drew Roginski
Larry and Leslie Benton
Lew and Linda Benton
Bradley Birge
Aileen Durant
Emma Foundation
Bob Fagan
George and Becky Hodgson
John and Lucille Koch
John and Sue Lant
Margo and Jeff Olson
Marne Onderdonk
Joe Sporko
Steve Wilcox
$500
Jen Ferriss
Kim Marsella & Blue Neils
Peg McCanty
Ray O'Conor
Bob Rice
Kurt Smemo
$250
Mark and Annamaria Bellantoni
Robin Ellnor
Rick Fenton
Jackie Hakes
Art and Sandy Johnson
Matthew Miczek
Nina Russo
Tim Schlachter
Caroline Stem and Bill Sprengnether
Wendy Whittmore
Up to $250
Larry and Maureen Dana
Lynne Florio
Linda and Elliott Glansberg
Jake Haker
Linda Hovious
Howard Lester
Jack and Lenore Reber
Bob and Lisa Reepmeyer
Michael Shaver
Jay and Pamela Weigel
To read more about the Dake Check Ceremony in April 2023, click on one of the articles below:
Full video of the Dake Check Ceremony